A. Field of the Invention
The device of the present invention generally relates to a new and improved apparatus for sharpening or grinding a workpiece and, more particularly, to a new and improved apparatus for sharpening fine cutlery or the like.
B. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional household knife sharpeners generally employ one or more rotating, circular, abrasive stones having angular or conical edges. The housings of the sharpeners typically include guide slots for positioning a knife blade against or between the rotating stones. Such devices are normally not adjustable to handle the variations in blade angle, thickness and curvature present in fine cutlery. Thus, fine cutlery may be severely damaged upon being sharpened by such devices. The problem of control of the blade edge angle is quite significant due to the normally visually hidden interface between the blade edge and the stone preventing proper positioning during the sharpening process.